FIFA plunges into new corruption scandal

Berlin: Already reeling from the accusations surrounding the attribution of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup competitions, FIFA has been plunged into a new scandal relating to the 2006 edition.

Sepp Blatter

Although vehemently denied by the German Football Federation (DFB), corruption claims made by Spiegel weekly newspaper on Friday would have felt like yet another body blow in the annals of world football's governing body.

On top of the Swiss investigation into the attribution of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar, and the surrounding bribery scandal that has seen 14 people arrested by American and Swiss authorities, now Spiegel have claimed that votes for the 2006 edition were bought.

It's another mess that FIFA can ill afford with its president Sepp Blatter having already been suspended for 90 days due to suspicions on a two million Swiss franc payment he made to UEFA counterpart Michel Platini was not above board.

Platini has also been suspended for the same period by FIFA's independent ethics committee, as well as the organisation's secretary general Jerome Valcke.